BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Wei Wenhua was a model communist and is now a bloggers ' hero -- a `` citizen journalist '' turned martyr .

The construction company manager was driving his car when he witnessed an ugly scene : a team of about 50 city inspectors beating villagers who tried to block trucks from unloading trash near their homes .

Wei took out his cell phone and began taking pictures . The city inspectors saw Wei and then attacked him in a beating that lasted five minutes . By the time it was over , the 41-year-old Wei was slumped unconscious . He was rushed to the hospital but was dead on arrival .

His death earlier this month continues to stir controversy . In China 's mainstream media and in the blogosphere , angry Chinese are demanding action .

After the Web site sina.com published news of Wei 's beating , readers promptly expressed their outrage . In one day alone , more than 8,000 posted comments . Bloggers inside and outside China bluntly condemned the brutal killing . Watch the swirling controversy over Wei 's death ''

`` City inspectors are worse than the mafia , '' wrote one Chinese blogger . `` They are violent civil servants acting in the name of law enforcement . ''

Another blogger asked , `` Just who gave these city inspectors such absurd powers ? ''

Known as `` chengguan '' in Chinese , city inspectors are auxiliary support for police . They are expected to deal with petty crimes . Their tasks include cracking down on unlicensed trading . They frequently are seen chasing street vendors off the streets and confiscating their goods .

Critics have said they often abuse their authority and prey on the weak . In the central city of Zhengzhou last year , 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors roughed up a female student who had set up a street stall . These incidents prompted the government to redefine the role of city inspectors .

Still , observed Jeremy Goldkorn , editor in chief of Danwei.org , `` Some bloggers -LSB- are -RSB- saying this whole chengguan system is prone to corruption and abuse and it should be disbanded . ''

Beijing scholar Xiong Peiyun wrote in Wednesday 's Southern Metropolis Daily , `` Perhaps no one wishes to face this question . Wei Wenhua 's death stands as clear proof of the violent ways of local city inspectors . It 's 2008 and another citizen goes down . When will we stand up and restrain the law enforcement violence of this city inspectors system ? ''

More and more victims of abuse already are standing up . `` It 's the latest in a series of incidents which have pit provincial government authorities against citizens -- those who are protesting against something who are recording and blogging and writing about something that they consider scandalous , '' Goldkorn said .

Some journalists and bloggers have even compared Wei 's fatal beating to the Rodney King case , when the Los Angeles police repeatedly clubbed him . Others say this is reminiscent of the 2003 death of graphic designer Sun Zhigang in the Chinese city of in Guangzhou . The 27-year-old college graduate was fatally beaten while in detention for not carrying proper identification . The public outcry , amplified in the country 's blogosphere , prompted China 's premier to restrict police powers of detention .

Years ago , killings such as these would not have received such attention , and victims would have been forgotten , but with modern technology in the hands of ordinary citizens , abusive officials are getting caught in the act .

China 's burgeoning economy allows a relatively freer flow of information . In September , China had 172 million Internet users , 10 million more than the last official count was released in July . Officials said about 4 million Chinese go online for the first time every month .

Millions have opened blogs , too . Mobile phone users also reached more than half a billion in September , according to the government .

Even though Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech , China continues to restrict the flow of information . Fearful of the surge in Internet and mobile phone usage -- and the information they are able to transmit -- the Chinese authorities are stepping up efforts to monitor and restrict their use , according to Reporters Without Borders , which fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom . A few Internet data centers have been closed down , along with thousands of Web sites .

Controversial blogs are blocked and unblocked multiple times . But silencing these citizen journalists is getting more difficult .

Days after Wei 's January 7 death , a government official in Tianmen city , Wei 's hometown , was fired , four others detained and more than 100 placed under investigation . Chinese authorities now appear to be taking these cases seriously .

Goldkorn said : `` It 's the kind of trouble that is very threatening to the party and the government , because it 's the kind of trouble that questions their reason d'etre . So when looking at things like this , in the back of their minds , is always , ` Could this develop into a real mass incident that has the power to threaten the stability of China ? ' ''

Meanwhile , bloggers are heaping eulogies for Wei . So far , no one has seen the pictures Wei took that day . It is thought his camera was destroyed in the beating .

`` Eternal repose to Citizen Wei Wenhua , '' wrote blogger Wang Gongquan . `` In the face of violence and brute power , he lifted a citizen 's rights , conscience , responsibility and courage . ''

Reporters Without Borders said , `` Wei is the first ` citizen journalist ' to die in China because of what he was trying to film . '' E-mail to a friend

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Beating death of Chinese Wei Wenhua prompts outrage

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One Chinese blogger writes : `` City inspectors are worse than the mafia ''

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City inspectors in China act as auxiliary support to police

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Wei reportedly died at hands of inspectors this month